Lizzie’s Half Shell Mussels Kilpatrick

Serves

4-6

Ingredients

1kg Sea Bounty Mussels
Finely Grated (good Quality) Parmesan Cheese
250gms Bacon* or 1/4 Cauliflower*

Traditionally Kilpatrick is made with bacon, but I ran out one day and decided to use some leftover really well roasted cauliflower which I just cut up finely as a substitute. It was really delicious, and I always do some with bacon and some with the cauliflower now.

150gm Salted Butter
30ml Worcestershire Sauce
40ml Tomato Sauce (ketchup)
½ to 1tsp Tabasco Sauce – depending on how warm you like it
¼ tsp Sea Salt
¼ tsp White Pepper

Method

Preheat oven to 210 degrees C

CRISPY BACON
Chop bacon into small dice and place in frypan and cook until golden and crispy. Drain on paper towel and set aside.

CAULIFLOWER CRUMB
Chop or grate (I use a little Tupperware chopper) cauliflower very finely. I use about a ¼ of a small cauliflower. Place a little olive oil into frypan and add chopped cauliflower. Use medium heat. Give it a stir quite regularly. It will take a while to start to brown but once it does keep an eye and stir as it will roast and turn dark quite quickly. I like mine quite dark. Place into a bowl and set aside.

KILPATRICK SAUCE
For the sauce combine all ingredients in heatproof bowl and microwave on low until butter has melted. Whisk together with a fork to combine.

MUSSELS
Rinse mussels in cold water and place into large flat-bottomed pan, add about a cup of cold water. Place lid on. Put onto stove top on high heat and give the pan a shake every minute or so. In the meantime, fill sink with some cold water. Once the pan starts to steam remove the lid and as the mussels start to open remove from pan and place into cold water in the sink – this will stop the cooking process and keep the mussels nice and plump. Now you can remove the beards and half the mussel shell. The beard will be super easy to remove once the mussel is cooked.
Place the half shell debearded mussels on lined (makes cleaning up easier) oven tray. Top with a sprinkle of the crispy bacon or the cauliflower crumb, then top with some grated parmesan and finally a teaspoon of the Kilpatrick sauce.

Then into a hot oven for about 4-5 mins. You don’t want to cook the mussels again; you only really want to melt the cheese and heat up the sauce on top.